5 Reasons Garth Brooks Deserves to Win 2017 CMA Entertainer of the Year

Garth Brooks is nominated (again!) for Entertainer of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards, and the country mega-star clearly deserves to win for a variety of reasons.

Brooks is the biggest star of the modern era of country music and has dominated the genre for decades, ever since his emergence in the late '80s. He's sold more units than any other artist, he has endless hits, and he's played to more fans over a longer period of time than any other EOTY nominee.

The veteran country star has changed with the times, ultimately coming around to embrace social media and digital music after years of resistance. As a result, Garth Brooks' music is being introduced to yet another generation of fans ... which is just one more reason why he deserves to win Entertainer of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.

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5

His Tour Numbers

Brooks is in the midst of wrapping up one of the biggest tours in country music history. His three-year comeback tour has consistently placed him at or among the top tours every year it's been on the road, and Brooks has been the top-earning artist in country music for several years running as a result of his sheer box office.

4

His Sheer Entertainment Value

Brooks is hands-down country music's best live entertainer, if not the best live entertainer of his generation in any genre. To witness him live is to be temporarily transported to Planet Garth, where he is in complete and utter command of a concert audience and they get to see the world through his eyes. Lots of entertainers can make a crowd happy, but it takes someone special to edify their lives long after they've left the concert venue.

3

His Fans Demand It

Brooks inspires a fierce loyalty in his fans that is unique. He invests so much energy in servicing his relationship with the fans, and he is known for an uncanny memory that gives him total recall of conversations he had with any given fan even years ago. He makes fans feel special on and off stage, and they return that love to him with a great deal of passion. If Brooks doesn't win, don't say we didn't warn you when his fans go nuts over it.

2

How Many More Chances Will He Get?

With his tour winding down and future plans unknown, this could be the last time Brooks sees this level of attention. What a send-off it would be if he won Entertainer of the Year again in 2017!

1

His Staying Power

Brooks first won Entertainer of the Year in 1991, and he's won five times out of 11 previous nominations, most recently in 2016. He's nominated for the whopping 12th time in 2017. It's practically unheard of for an artist of Brooks' vintage to get an Entertainer of the Year nomination, and the fact that he's done it again this year is a pure homage to how much respect he commands from CMA voters.